The Digital Frontier
Advancements in 20th century medicine reshaped society and made good health an expectation, not an exception. Now, 21st century breakthroughs may end disease, reverse aging, and restore sight and hearing — perhaps sooner than we think.
Featured
Pantheon creator Craig Silverstein on uploading our brains to the internet
How the cult hit sci-fi show imagines a “techno-realist” future.
Google’s $1 billion bet on Africa’s digital future
Just 37% of sub-Saharan Africans use the internet today, but Google predicts the next 10 years will be the region’s “digital decade.”
Can humans purge the bots without sacrificing our privacy?
A group backed by Sam Altman is pursuing the creation of “personhood credentials” that would prove an internet user is a real person.
More
How tech is turning science into a hobby
From astronomy to video games, consumer technology is helping people pursue their interests while also advancing community science.
Silicon chips are no longer sustainable. Here’s what’s next.
To take our tech to the next level, we need a more energy-efficient semiconductor. Gallium nitride could be it.
Is this the biggest industrial espionage campaign in history?
The cat-and-mouse game between China and the world’s semiconductor companies is already having enormous consequences.
AI is now designing chips for AI
AI-designed microchips have more power, lower cost, and are changing the tech landscape.
AI chatbots may ease the world’s loneliness (if they don’t make it worse)
AI chatbots may have certain advantages when roleplaying as our friends. They may also come with downsides that make our loneliness worse.
The next big tech trend will start out looking like a toy
In “Read, Write, Own: Building The Next Era of the Internet,” investor Chris Dixon explains why the biggest trends often go overlooked.
My anxious generation: The unforeseen toll of a digital childhood
In this op-ed, columnist Rikki Schlott draws from personal experience to argue that a digital childhood is a childhood squandered.
Replit CEO Amjad Masad on bringing the next 1 billion software creators online
Freethink spoke with Masad about the future of software development, the outsized power of Silicon Valley, and the absurdity of the AI extinction theory.
Potato chips or heroin? The debate on social media and mental health
Experts disagree on whether social media causes mental health issues in adolescents despite looking at the same data. Here’s why.
Constitutional warning shot for social media “deplatforming” laws
Can the government tell private websites what they have to publish?
You’re thinking of the metaverse all wrong, says Matthew Ball
Rumors of the metaverse’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Hugo Mercier says we’ve been misinformed about misinformation
Cognitive scientist Hugo Mercier argues the problem isn’t that people are too gullible but too stubborn.
Ray Kurzweil explains how AI makes radical life extension possible
Life expectancy gains in developed countries have slowed in recent decades, but AI may be poised to transform medicine as we know it.
Microsoft’s “parallel bets” strategy won the PC Wars. Will it work for AI?
Microsoft made parallel bets to make sure they held their OS lead. They’ll do the same for AI — will it work?
How the TikTok case pits national security against freedom of speech
Whether the video-sharing app TikTok is banned or not, it will continue to add fuel to the fiery debate on freedom of speech.
The Supreme Court will soon decide the future of social media
Should social media platforms have the right to decide what speech is permitted? Should the government?
Pager panic: When beepers were infiltrating schools
Cities and schools once actually arrested students for carrying this dangerous technology.
“Cybersecurity shortage” could reach 85 million workers by 2030
The global talent shortage could reach 85 million workers by 2030, causing approximately $8.5 trillion in unrealized annual revenue.
Why AI playing video games is a big deal
Google’s SIMA can follow human instructions to play 3D video games. Researchers hopes the platform can one day help AI navigate real-world environments.
With inspiration from “Tetris,” MIT researchers develop a better radiation detector
A new detector system based on the game “Tetris” could enable inexpensive, accurate radiation detectors for monitoring nuclear sites.
Subscribe to the newsletter